Item Info
Media Type: Photographic Negatives
Source: Print and Picture Collection
Notes:
Image taken by Philadelphia Evening Bulletin photographer Charles T. Higgins. Notes on the negative's envelope read: "Apr. 8, 1952; aerial views, Independence Mall area"
Construction activities for Independence Mall began in 1947, to include the three blocks north of Independence Hall (seen in the foreground of this image), bound by 5th and 6th Streets. This 1952 aerial view, looking north, shows all but one building already cleared and active construction underway on Block One (Chestnut to Market Streets). The Mall officially opened to the public in 1956, work having been completed on Block One, and the first third of Block Two (Market to Arch Streets). By the mid-1960s, demolition of the remaining non-historic buildings was finished, and the National Park Service eventually took ownership and operation of the completed Mall in 1974. The area’s formal name is Independence National Historical Park (INHP), but it is still most often referred to as Independence Mall.
Geocode Latitude: Geocode Longitude:-75.149408
Geocode Latitude:39.949755
Creator Name: Higgins, Charles - Photographer